QUICK NEWS, May 18: IT’S SCIENCE – PA NAT GAS RUINS H2O; INDIANA GOES 10% CLEAN; ARIZONA UTILITY UPS NEW ENERGY MARK; UTAH SENDS MORE WIND TO LA

IT’S SCIENCE – PA NAT GAS RUINS H2O
Study Links Gas Drilling To Contaminated Drinking Water
Ryan Tracy, May 17, 2011 (Dow Jones Newswires via Nasdaq)

"Researchers found some of the first evidence that a drilling method used to extract natural gas can contaminate drinking water, according to a study published… in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences…

"…[It] found evidence that methane contaminated drinking water in areas near drilling sites in northeastern Pennsylvania. It didn't find traces of chemicals used as part of the drilling process."

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"Though methane may not be toxic if ingested, it was present at levels high enough to pose ‘a potential explosion hazard,’ the scientists said. Methane can also be dangerous if inhaled at high concentrations in an enclosed space.

"A spokesman for the Independent Petroleum Association of America, an industry group, questioned the findings, saying the study doesn't prove a link between methane levels and drilling operations."

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"Natural-gas drilling has boomed in Pennsylvania and in other parts of the U.S. in recent years, thanks to technological advances that have unlocked reserves of gas in shale formations deep underground. But the boom has been coupled with concerns that the drilling methods, including hydraulic fracturing, could contaminate drinking water.

"The study's authors said more research and information was needed to improve public confidence in the safety of the shale-gas extraction."


INDIANA GOES 10% CLEAN
Mitch Daniels Signs Clean Energy Standard Bill
13 May 2011 (North American Windpower)

"Gov. Mitch Daniels, R-Ind., has signed into law a voluntary clean energy portfolio standard (CPS), which sets a goal of 10% of the state's electric generation to come from clean energy sources by 2025 and incentivizes utilities to participate in the CPS…

"S.B.251 encourages investment in the state's growing wind industry as well as other forms of lower-emission energy, including solar, nuclear, clean coal and hydro…"

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"…[The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA)]…praised the passage of the bill…[and called for more such policie] to create a stable business and investment environment…

"The bill [included] an amendment…[that called] for at least 50% of the qualifying energy obtained by Indiana utilities participating in the CPS to come from within the state. The House passed the amended bill on a bipartisan vote of 62-34 on April 21, and the Senate passed the bill by a 31-19 bipartisan vote on April 26."


ARIZONA UTILITY UPS NEW ENERGY MARK
APS Achieves Record Year for Renewable Energy
May 10, 2011 (Arizona Public Service Company)

"In 2010, customers of Arizona Public Service Company received record amounts of renewable energy, enough to surpass Arizona’s energy goals for the third straight year. Renewables powered more than 3 percent of all customer electric needs last year – on track to 10 percent from renewables by 2015 and 15 percent by 2025.

"…[C]ustomers received 826,534 megawatt-hours of renewable energy, 26 percent more than the previous year…APS buys renewable energy from developers, owns its own facilities and subsidizes installations on customer homes and businesses. The energy comes from wind, solar, geothermal, biomass and biogas generation sources. These renewable sources are a combination of large and small utility-scale projects as well as rooftop installations."

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"The work APS put into renewable energy development in 2010 will help achieve Arizona’s aggressive energy goals: APS doubled the solar energy produced from customer-owned rooftop installations, signed agreements for construction of multiple company-owned renewable projects and facilitated groundbreaking on one of the largest solar plants in the world.

"The signed agreements were primarily for solar plants developed as part of the “AZ Sun” program, an initiative which has APS financing and owning 100 megawatts of new photovoltaic solar plants located across Arizona…Together they equal 66 megawatts of new solar power for APS customers. In early 2011 a contract was signed for a fifth AZ Sun project, a 17-megawatt plant in Gila Bend. Three of the plants are currently under construction…APS also signed contracts to purchase energy from a new Arizona wind farm, several additional photovoltaic plants and a landfill gas project."

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"APS’s Renewable Energy Incentive Program, which provides financial incentives to customers for installing solar electric, solar water heaters and other renewable systems, saw accelerating growth in 2010. A record 5,100 new participants (a 66-percent increase from 2009) generated 131,413 megawatt-hours of renewable energy.

"Construction also commenced on what will be one of the largest solar plants in the world. The 250-megawatt Solana Generation Station broke ground in December 2010. The concentrating solar plant is expected to come online in 2013. Solana will be owned by Arizona Solar One LLC, a subsidiary of Abengoa Solar, with APS purchasing all the power through a long-term contract…"


UTAH SENDS MORE WIND TO LA
2nd Milford wind project online
May 9, 2011 (Deseret News)

"First Wind…[announced] the construction of the 102-megawatt Milford Wind Corridor Phase II — Milford II — project has been completed and commercial operations have begun…The project is located north of the 204 MW Milford I project. Together, the projects…are the two largest wind energy developments in Utah.

"At 306 MW, the combined output of Milford I and II has the capacity to generate enough energy to power up to 64,000 homes."



"Under a power purchase agreement with Southern California Public Power Authority, power generated by Milford II is being supplied to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power as well as Glendale Water and Power in California.

"The projects were developed by First Wind, an independent wind energy company based in Boston…[with] wind projects in the Northeast, the West and in Hawaii."